Shramana Bhagwan Mahavir was the last
Tirthankar in the Avasarpini phase or the phase of decline. He
was a contemporary of Gautam Buddha, Lao-Tse, Confucius,
Socrates, etc. Bhagwan Mahavir was born on Monday the 13th day of
the Shukla -the bright fortnight of Chaitra according to the
Indian Calendar that is on the 30th of March 599 B. C. at
Kshatriyakunda (in Bihar). He was born as Vardhman Kumar to King
Siddhartha and Queen Trishala. When he was 30 years of age, he
renounced his worldly life and assumed the life of Sädhanä or
spiritual endeavour on Mondav the 10th day of Krishna Paksha the
black fortnight of Kartik according to the Indian Calendar that
is on 19th December 569 B.C. He performed a severe and austere
penance for twelve and a half years and then on Sunday, the 10th
day of Shukla of Vaishäkh that is 13th April 558 B.C., he
attained Kevaljnan or absolute enlightenment. He preached his
first message on the 11th day of Shukla Paksha of Vaishakh and
showed the multidimensional path for the attainment of
selfpurification and selfperfection. The same path shown by him
is followed today. On Tuesday, the new Moon day in Kartik, i.e ,
on the 15th October 528 B.C. Lord Mahavir attained salvation,
Moksha and his life ended with his attainment of absolute
deliverance.